Fantasyland
by EmilyMarie15
Summary: Famous author, Edward Cullen is a single father in love with one girl; his five year old daughter. On their trip to Disney World they meet someone that will change their lives and they will will change her's. AH. OOC. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**Edward**

"Daddy, catch me!" _Oh shit, not this again_, I thought.

"Charlie, you can't fly!"

"I'm not Charlie; I Tink." I stared at my little girl as she climbed onto the kitchen stool. She was wearing her Tinker Bell costume and was going to try to fly; for the third time that morning. I stood in front of the stool and watched her.

"Charlotte Emily Cullen get down here this instant!" I scolded. The moment I saw the scheming grin on her face I knew I'd chosen the wrong words. Charlie jumped; I caught her and stumbled back wards a little.

"Again?" she asked and I shook my head.

"No, Princess we need to get ready." She started to pout and I couldn't help it. I put her back on the chair. As soon as we made eye contact the pout disappeared and she grinned, jumping into my outstretched arms.

**Bella**

I sighed and looked at my assignments for the day. I was to stay in Fantasyland all day today; and I had to wear the yellow dress. That damn dress was going to be the death of me. I leaned my head on the wall and gave myself a pep talk.

"It could be worse, it could be worse." So I turned and went to the makeup and wardrobe department.

"Hi, Bella, what'll it be today?" Alice asked me. She was the best makeup artist here; and made all of us role players look the part.

"Yellow dress," I sighed. When I wore the simple, blue dress, I didn't have to be fancy. My hair was simply pulled back. But with the yellow ball gown, it had to be curled and piled high on top of my head.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my job. What girl could say that she got to be a princess every day? Or even be a princess that some many other little girls look up to? It was certainly interesting.

**Edward**

"All I'm saying is that you should get back out there," my agent, Rosalie, was saying as I talked to her on my phone. I rolled my eyes at her comment. She had been telling me that for almost a year. As soon as I had finished writing my latest book, it was the only thing for her to nag me about.

"I don't need to date, Rose, I have Charlie to think about," I said, glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing my girl wave at me.

"Well, just think about it okay? That actress Tanya has expressed her interest and it might be good publicity for the book."

"The book isn't coming out for four more months, and my fans will buy it whether I'm dating Tanya West or not."

"Whatever you say Ed. Now try not to get into too much trouble. Emmett and I will be there in five days."

"Uh-huh."

"Bye."

"Bye." I hung up the phone and thought about Rose and my brother, Emmett. They got married three years ago and had themselves a son. Charlie loved to play with little Zach; he was almost two.

We were on our way to Disney World. It was going to be a family vacation, with a couple signings and conferences thrown in toward the end. I had decided to come with Charlie a few days early, so we could have alone time. I had to admit that I was just as excited as she was. The first and last time I had been there was when I was seven and Emmett threw up on me. This time was bound to be much better than the last. As I drove the rental car up to the park, Charlie let out a squeal.

"Daddy! Look, Daddy!" I glanced in the rear view and saw her straining against her seat belt to get a better view. I laughed and found a parking space.

When I unbuckled her, Charlie practically jumped out of the car. I had to grab her by her shirt to keep her from making a run for it. She huffed and looked up at me. Those big green eyes were exactly like my own and I hated it. I used those same eyes to get my way with my parents when I was her age and now she was doing it to me.

"Charlie, remember what I told you." I said.

"Charlie can't run away from Daddy," she repeated.

"That's right, Baby Girl, now stand right there so I can get the bag." I reached into the car to get the backpack I'd stuffed with everything I thought we needed. Out of the corner of my eye, I still watched Charlie.

She was bouncing up and down, her strawberry blonde curls going everywhere. I opened a pocket of the bag and took out a hair elastic. Rose always teased me for having to do this. She said I had no 'hair talent' at all. So it was always a pony tail or pig tails for Charlie, unless Auntie Rose did her hair. I wasn't going to complain, I thought she looked fucking adorable with pig tails.

"Let me do your hair, Charlie," I said. My five year old grimaced and I rolled my eyes. Rose had been telling her to be wary of my 'hair-doing'.

"Will we get to meet princesses?" Charlie asked. I crouched down and she turned and stood between my legs.

"Yes, I'm sure we will." I gathered up her curls and put them in the pony tail holder.

"Do you think we gonna see Belle?"

"No. Only little girls who listen to their daddy can see Belle." Charlie's eyes narrowed, like she was trying to decide if I was serious or not.

"But I do listen!" I laughed and picked her up. I nuzzled my nose against hers and could see the freckles on the top of her cheeks.

"Come on, let's go." I started to walk toward the entrance and she wiggled.

"I can walk, Daddy!" I looked at her firmly.

"If you walk, you have to hold my hand," I said as I put her down. She nodded and held tightly onto my hand.

When we got into the park I looked around. It was still fairly early. They had only been open for about half of an hour. However, there seemed to be a lot of people already. I wondered if they'd recognize me. Today was meant to be a day with Charlie, not with fans. I loved my fans, but I loved my little girl more.

We started the day in Adventureland. Three people came up to us, but other than that we were left alone. I think most of the people that did recognize me understood that this was my vacation. I was spending quality time with my daughter.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Charlie said when we got off of the magic carpet ride.

"Where do you want to eat?" We started walking out of Adventureland and she looked around her.

"Over there!" She pointed toward the castle and I nodded. It was the time I had anticipated; time to go to Fantasyland.

When we entered Fantasyland the first thing we saw was Snow White. Charlie was excited and she quickly dragged me over to her. I took her picture with Snow White and then asked if there was somewhere with pizza. My girl's eyes lit up at the mention of her favorite dish and Snow White gestured toward a little restaurant.

As we sat down at the Pinocchio Village Haus, I looked at the camera. We had gotten pictures with so many characters already, but not Belle. Charlie's favorite princess was Belle. She watched Beauty and the Beast almost every day. It was good for me, because when I needed to write I knew that I could simply turn on that movie and I'd have peace for at least an hour.

"What kind of pizza do y'all want?" a waitress asked. I ordered pepperoni and she walked away. I looked across the table and Charlie had her chin in her hands and was looking at me funny.

"What? Do I have something in my nose?" I asked, she laughed and shook her head.

"Do you like girls, Daddy?" she asked.

"You're the only girl I like. Other girls are icky." I wrinkled my nose and Charlie giggled.

"Be serious."

"Of course I like girls, sweetie."

"You like them how you liked Mommy?"

We had a staring match; how was I going to tell her that I never really liked her mother? I knew that one day I would need to explain that her mother and I weren't technically dating when she was conceived. She would need to know that after she was born, Jane didn't care. That's why she kept getting drunk and partying. I'd have to tell her that when her mother died in the car accident it was because she'd been out drinking and driving instead of at home taking care of her. But looking across the table at her, I felt like I may never tell her those things because how could I?

"Yes, I like them like I liked Mommy," I said, deciding at that moment to not confuse her.

"Will I get a new mommy?"

_Probably not_, I thought; but I smiled and said, "Maybe, someday."

"I want a princess for a mommy," Charlie said, leaning back and nodding her head once. She returned to coloring on the activity placemat and I smiled.

After we ate we journeyed back into Fantasyland. We saw Princess Jasmine for the second time that day, but Charlie was looking for Belle. After we got off the carrousel, she froze. I looked at her, curious, when all of a sudden she was running.

"Damn it, Charlie," I said as I ran after her. I felt panic; what if I lost her? I could still see her up ahead and as I looked to where she was going, it finally made sense. When I caught up to her, I picked her up and looked at her.

"Don't you remember me saying that Belle only sees girls that listen to their daddy?" Charlie bit her lip and nodded.

"Charlotte, if you ever run away like that again we're leaving and going home." She nodded her head again. I hugged her tightly, and waited until the fear of losing her faded away. Then, I started walking toward the woman in the big yellow ball gown.

From far away I couldn't really tell what she looked like, all I saw was that bright dress. However, as we got closer I saw how beautiful she really was. Charlie started to squirm so I set her down, but made sure to hold her hand tight as I could.

"Why, hello!" Belle said to us when we approached her. I just stared at her. The make up made her look flawless, but I felt like she would be beautiful without it. She smiled, and crouched down, opening her arms wide. Charlie looked up at me and I nodded, letting go off her hand.

"Hi, Belle," Charlie said as she hugged her. The woman hugged my little girl right back and I felt warm inside.

"What's your name, princess?" Belle asked.

"Charlotte Emily Cullen," Charlie said, surprising me that she'd given her the full name. The woman laughed, it was melodic.

"That's a lovely name."

"We call her Charlie," I spoke up. For the first time, the woman looked at me and I saw some form of recognition on her face.

"Of course! I know you two. Your daddy writes books!"

"How did you know?" Charlie was in awe, staring up at her with the biggest grin on her face.

"Because I love to read, Charlie!"

"You're my favorite, Belle," Charlie said and the woman smiled. In my head, I really did think of her as Belle. She was beautiful and so she deserved a beautiful name.

"Thank you. Would you like a picture, Charlie?" Belle asked. She nodded her head and I couldn't believe how big her smile was.

Belle got down and hugged Charlie; they both looked at me and smiled. I snapped a picture and then when they looked at each other and started talking again, I took another. I couldn't help it; they just looked perfect together.

**Bella**

"What's your name, princess?" I asked the little girl. She was so adorable. Her big green eyes were framed by long lashes and her red, blonde hair was curly. She looked familiar, but I had seen so many little girls over the years.

"Charlotte Emily Cullen," she said, smiling up at me. Okay, I think I would've remembered a girl with a name like that.

"That's a lovely name," I told her.

"We call her Charlie." I looked up and saw her father. He was gorgeous. I could see that Charlie got her eyes from him. Then, something in my brain clicked.

"Of course! I know you two! Your daddy writes books!" I noticed my small slip out of character, but saved myself by telling Charlie that I knew them because Belle loves to read books. Charlie and Edward stayed for a little while longer and got some pictures. Edward asked a passerby to take one of all three of us. I hoped I didn't blush too much when our arms brushed.

As they walked away, I tried not to stare at him. Rather, I tried not to stare at his ass in those jeans. Sure I had met some celebrities while working here, but this was something else. Edward Cullen was my favorite author these days. I had been on a waiting list for his new book ever since I found out about it.

The rest of the day passed by slowly; I didn't see Edward and Charlie again. Something inside of me actually ached a little bit. They had been so charming and I wanted to see them, if only from a distance.

"Are you coming over tonight?" Alice asked that night as we exited the park together.

"I don't think so, Ali, I'm really tired," I said, shaking my head and shifting my bag. Alice sighed and I knew she was disappointed. She and her husband, Jasper, had just bought their first house and I had yet to go and see it.

"Soon, I promise." I said when we got to her car.

"When?"

"Um… Saturday."

"I'm holding you to that." She held out her pinky and I laughed, but pinky swore with her anyway.

I got in my own car and began my drive home. However, before I could get to my condo, my cell phone started ringing. I sighed when I noticed it was my dad calling. I loved him and knew that if I ignored a call from him, it would definitely hurt his feelings.

"Hi, Dad," I answered.

"Bells, I need to ask you a favor." I held my breath and waited. "We're swamped here, do you mind waitressing?"

"Dad!"

"Please Bella? It's just until we close, which is soon." I could just picture my dad at his restaurant, a crowd of people waiting to get in with a line going out the door and down the block and him stressing out because he's short a waitress.

"Fine, Dad, but I keep all the tips." I turn right toward the restaurant instead of left to my condo.

"Of course, of course. Thanks, sweet heart."

"See you in five minutes." We both hung up and I silently drove onward. I heard the soothing sounds of Adele drifting out of my speakers and turned up the volume.

Upon arriving at the restaurant I noticed exactly what I had pictured. There were people every where. Forks wasn't a fancy restaurant but we were well known for our good food and good atmosphere. In college, I had majored in business management and minored in culinary. I knew that one day this place would be mine, but for now I wanted to do my own thing.

"Hey, Dad," I said as I walked in the front door and smiled at him. He was standing at the host podium. I could see that he was stressed, but hiding it behind a large smile.

"Hi, Bella," he said, letting out a small sigh.

"Is there anything for me to change into?" I asked.

"Your waitressing clothes are in my office."

"You kept them?"

"Just in case." I rolled my eyes and headed toward the back. I greeted happy families and said hello to regulars. When I entered my dad's office I looked in his closet and saw the spare waitressing outfit I had always kept in there. It was simple attire, dark jeans and a black shirt.

I locked his office door and quickly changed. I looked down at the small tattoo on my hip; _carpe diem_. It was the motto of my best friend growing up. Jake was two years older than me and I knew him since I was born. He died in a motorcycle accident the summer I graduated high school.

As I tied the small red apron around my waist and slipped my order book into the pocket I took a deep breath. I wouldn't be here for that long, maybe four hours. I put my bag and clothes in the closet, unlocked the door and stepped out. I made my way over to Seth and asked him what tables I'd be working tonight.

"Actually, you'll be working your old tables. Jessica, your replacement, got sick and couldn't come in today. We had been taking turns covering her tables but there's only so much we can do, as you know." With that, Seth excused himself and went to tend to his own tables. I had always liked Seth; he reminded me a lot of Jake.

I nodded to my dad and he began leading families to the empty tables. It would be a lot to do, but I'd be able to handle it. I introduced myself to the first couple and started with their drinks and the next hour carried on exactly the same.

As families ate and left they were replaced with new people. Faces blurred together, as I continued taking orders.

"Your waitress will be right with you," I heard Valerie say as she sat a new group. I waited a moment to catch my breath and then headed toward them. I froze in my tracks when I fully saw who was sitting in the booth. So much for catching my breath.

"Hello, I'm Bella, I'll be your waitress for the evening," I spat out my mantra, telling myself to control my emotions. They wouldn't even recognize me.

"I'm Charlie!" Charlie had changed into a little purple sun dress and her hair was down. She looked just as adorable as she did today. Edward looked up from his menu and directly at me. He tilted his head and I could almost feel him scrutinizing me. His daughter didn't know that she had already met me, but I could see recognition in his eyes.

"Hello Charlie, is there anything I can get you guys to drink?"

"She'll have chocolate milk and I'll have a Coke," Edward said. I jotted it down and smiled at them.

"Did Valerie tell you our specials for tonight?" Edward nodded his head.

"Are you ready to order or would you like some more time?" I refrained from biting my lip and made sure that I didn't stutter out of nervousness. Something about those eyes staring at me made set me on edge.

"We'd like some more time." I nodded and left to get their drinks. I stopped and filled an order for a family of five and then headed back to the kitchen.

Once I got their drinks I headed toward their table. I saw Lauren giggling and hair flipping and my eyes narrowed. She was definitely my least favorite of the employees here. At least Charlie was ignoring her and Edward was feigning interest; or so it appeared. I walked up and innocently bumped her out of the way so that I could give them their drinks.

"Lauren, table five needs clearing," I said. She harrumphed and walked away. If it was one thing she didn't like, it was that I had the authority to tell her what to do.

"Thanks for that," Edward said. I wasn't sure if he meant their drinks or getting rid of Lauren. I figured it was the later.

"No problem. So have you decided what you'd like to order?"

"We'll have a chicken finger basket for Charlie," Edward started.

"Do you have waffle fries?" Charlie chimed in. I laughed and wrote it down.

"Yes we have waffle fries."

"So she'll have the chicken fingers with waffle fries and I'll have the fish fry." I wrote down the order. The fish fry was popular; it was a recipe passed down from Seth's father, and my dad's friend, Harry Clearwater.

"Alright, I'll go put this in." I smiled at them and Charlie smiled right back. Edward just looked at me. I wondered if he'd figured it out by now or not. He was not stupid, I felt sure that he knew.

"Thank you, Bella," he said as I turned and walked away.

While waiting for their order to come in, I avoided their table as best as I could. Something about Edward's expression disturbed me. It made me tingle inside and reminded me of his main character, Anthony Masen. There was always speculation about whether or not Mr. Cullen based Mr. Masen on himself. Now that I'd met him I was wondering if perhaps it was true.

After Charlie and Edward finished eating they ordered desert; a fudge brownie for Charlie and berry cobbler for Edward. When they left I was down to only two more tables. I forced myself to concentrate. I couldn't, though. My whole mind was focused on the tip Edward had left and the small slip of paper between that bills that said: _I want to talk._ His number was scrawled beneath it.

When I finally got home I decided that I needed to call Alice. I told her the story of my dad calling me and asking me to help him out for the night. I then told her the part about Edward. She gasped and urged me to give her details. But honestly, what could I tell her? He was handsome and had an adorable daughter, nothing really happened between us though. We shared a couple of looks and he gave me his number.

"You must call him!" Alice squealed. I looked at the clock and noticed it was nearly midnight.

"Not tonight, Ali," I sighed, as the yearning to be in bed returned.

"Okay, okay, but you have to tomorrow!"

Tomorrow came too quickly and I dragged myself out of bed. It was going to be hot today and I blasted the air conditioner on the drive to work. Looking at the assignments list I noticed that I would be working in the castle at lunch time. That meant I got to wear the blue dress. I grinned and headed to wardrobe.

**Edward**

"Can we eat in the castle today, Daddy?" I looked down at Charlie. We had been in the park for about two hours and it was just about time for lunch.

"Sure, princess," I said. We left Tomorrowland and headed to the castle. We saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse and I took a picture of Charlie with them. She was really enjoying herself here. I had to admit that I was enjoying it all, too.

There was a part of me today, that couldn't stop thinking about yesterday. I saw Belle, I mean, Bella at that restaurant. I didn't realize it at first but when she looked at Charlie I knew, I _knew_ it was her. At first I was confused, but then I was well, kind of horny.

This woman that I'd encountered twice in my entire life was attracting me more than any woman ever had. Her eyes were like melted chocolate. I wanted to bury my face in her hair and wrap my arms around her waist. The way she smiled at my little girl was so loving it filled my heart with joy.

We walked into the castle and were seated at a table near a window. Charlie asked if there was pizza on the menu that they gave her.

"Honey, you can read," I said. She wasn't an exceptional reader, but she was learning; and she definitely knew how to read the word 'pizza'. I looked at her menu and laughed, she had it upside down. I flipped it over and Charlie grinned and began searching for what she wanted.

"Hello, what can I get you guys?" I looked up and there were the brown eyes that I could get lost in.

"Belle!" Charlie exclaimed. Bella was wearing the simple blue dress from the beginning of the movie and her makeup was minimal. Yesterday, the makeup made her look elegant, but today it made her look almost normal. Of course, last night I had seen what she looked like normally and I preferred that over all of it.

"Hello, princess, how are you?" Charlie proceeded to tell her everything about our day and Bella listened intently, smiling and nodding.

"What would you like to drink today?"

"Chocolate milk and Coke," I said; Bella smirked but simply nodded and told us she'd return with our drinks shortly. Other princesses walked around and said hellos. Charlie talked animatedly with them, but I couldn't stop think about Bella.

I was a writer. I knew countless adjectives. There were so many ways to write about love. In fact, my own character Anthony Masen was in love with a crazy, quick witted young woman that never lets him get the best of her. For Anthony, however, it was not love at first sight. He absolutely loathed Katherine at first.

Never did I think that I'd find true love. When I wrote about Anthony and his dislike for Katherine I always channeled my dislike for Jane. When I began to write about his love of Katherine I thought of my love for my daughter. Now I thought of love and saw the face of Bella as well; it was strange and the idea needed to go away.

It was a new feeling, strange and unfamiliar to me. Bella brought us our drinks and after awhile, she brought us our food too. I wondered if she had gotten my note, if was going to actually call me. I couldn't ask her here. She would get fired for breaking character. I had to know, though.

As Charlie and I stood up to leave I saw Bella standing by the entrance. We made eye contact and she blushed.

"Let's go say good bye to Belle, Charlie," I said. She ran ahead and started talking to Bella. I stood beside them, acting casual.

"Did you get my note?" I murmured. I looked at her in time to catch the small nod. She continued talking to Charlie, but was listening to me as well.

"Are you going to call?" Again, she nodded. "Tonight?" Another nod, and I smiled, feeling accomplished. Charlie and I both said goodbye to Bella and we went back into the park. I was talked into buying ice cream for Charlie, but as I looked at the choices I realized I wanted some too. We sat on a bench, eating ice cream and watching people.

"When are Auntie Rose and Uncle Em coming with Zach?" Charlie asked me.

"Four days."

"Are we coming back here tomorrow?"

"No, we're going to the Animal Kingdom tomorrow."

"Will we still see princesses?"

"I think so."

After another long day we returned to our hotel. I called Emmett and told him about Bella. He started to laugh and told me I had it bad. Apparently he felt the same when he met Rose.

"Oh, Rosie wanted me to tell you that her cousin invited us all to his house Saturday for dinner," Emmett said.

"That sounds cool, we'll be there."

"Good… Zach don't put that in your mouth! I gotta go, man. See you soon." Emmett hung up the phone and I chuckled. Charlie looked at me like I was crazy but turned her attention back to the movie she was watching.

I stretched out on my bed and watched her watch the movie. As a habit, I took out my journal. There a notes about my characters and the plot for my next story; my debating about killing off Katherine. I turned to a blank page and closed my eyes. I had never written anything while feeling the way I was. The experience was new, but I took out a pen and began to write anyway.

"Daddy, it's over," Charlie said. I looked up, breaking out of my trance. I noticed the many pages I had written and smiled, a feeling of accomplishment washing over me. I stood up and took out the disc.

"Want to watch something else?" I asked her. She looked thoughtful, but then shook her head.

"Can I color?" I nodded and took out her crayons and papers.

"Here you go, Charlie."

"Thanks." She sat down and continued coloring in a princess picture she had been working on. I smiled and watched her for a bit, before deciding to sit down with her. She looked at me and smiled, but stayed concentrated on coloring. I didn't mind. I pulled a blank piece of paper toward me and began to draw my own picture.

An hour later, as I was coloring in the dress on the person I had drawn, my phone started to ring. At first I figured it was Emmett or Rose, but seeing the caller id I realized that it was not anyone I knew.

"Hello?" I answered, my heart pounding in my chest. Could it be her? Had she really called me?

"Um, hi, is this Edward?" a soft voice asked.

"Yes, this is."

"Hi, it's Bella." I stood up, and walked out onto the balcony of our room.

"Hi," I said as I leaned on the railing.

"How are you?"

"Good, you?"

"Good."

"Good." Our conversation was awkward, but I was enjoying every second, every syllable.

"Why did you want me to call you, Edward?" Bella asked. I had expected this question but did not have an answer.

"I wanted to talk to you properly."

"Oh."

"We can't have a proper conversation when you're in character and when you were at the restaurant you had other people to serve. I just wanted to talk." I rambled, trying to make her understand.

"But why do you want to talk to me?"

"I don't know," I said quietly. "There's something special about you, I can feel it."

**Bella**

I couldn't believe I had actually called Edward. That day when he asked if I'd call that night, I didn't believe I really would. Every part of me thought I'd change my mind or find some kind of excuse not to. I did it, though. It actually felt kind of nice, talking to him about nothing.

I sat on my couch, petting my cat and drinking tea and just talking to him. I told him I was twenty six and my favorite color was green. We figured out that as kids we both had braces. Edward told me that he liked seafood, but would pick a burger over it any day.

"Daddy?" I heard a small voice through the phone. I looked at the clock; we'd been talking for almost two hours and I should probably be going to bed.

"I'll be right in, sweet heart," Edward said. "Sorry, Bella, what were you saying?"

"Nothing," I said as I got up and stretched. Berlioz looked up at me with his big eyes and meowed. "I should be going to bed though. I have a long day tomorrow."

"Okay, then." If I didn't know better I would've said Edward sounded disappointed.

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Probably not, we're going to Animal Kingdom."

"Okay then."

"Will you call again?" I put my mug in the sink and looked out the window. The night was dark and I could see myself reflected back at me. I bit my lip and considered it. What was there to lose?

"Yes," I agreed.

"Goodnight, Bella," Edward said.

"Goodnight." I hung up the phone and placed it in the cradle.

I walked into my room; Berlioz was already on my bed waiting for me. I smiled at him and changed into my pajamas. Climbing under the covers I considered what I was getting into. I didn't know Edward Cullen. Yet, I was feeling these things for him that I hadn't felt for anyone before, but that didn't change the fact that we were strangers.

The next day passed, as did the day after. Each night I called Edward at the same exact time and each night we talked to each other. We hadn't seen each other since that day in the castle, but I was feeling connected. It wasn't like we were in a relationship, but it _was_ like we were friends.

"Charlie's name is lovely," I said one night after neither one of us had said any thing for a long amount of time.

"She's named after the Bronte sisters; Charlotte and Emily."

"Wuthering Heights was always my favorite book." I looked over at my bedside table and smiled at the worn copy of Wuthering Heights. Berlioz nuzzled his head under my hand and I giggled.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked.

"My cat is just being a goof ball," I said. Had I just told him I had a cat? I hoped he didn't start thinking I was a lonely cat lady.

"What's his name?"

"Berlioz." I stroked his head, burying my fingers into his soft fur.

"I used to have a cat. But I could never really take care of her with all my traveling, so my parents took her."

"Here that, Berlioz? He likes cats," I whispered, holding the phone away from me for a second.

"So your cat's name really is Berlioz?" Edward asked, he sounded amused and I glared at the phone.

"Yes, what's wrong with that?"

"Is it like the Aristocats?"

"Obviously; his fur is black, too."

"My cat is white and her name is Marie."

"Wow." I had to admit that I was kind of impressed. _Do mi so do, do so mi do,_ I thought as I hummed the little tune.

"Every truly cultured music student knows, you must learn your scales and your arpeggios," Edward continued and I smiled; he didn't sound half bad. Figures a man with a little girl like Charlie would know the song.

"Bring the music ringing from your chest, and not your nose."

"While you sing your scales and your arpeggios." I started laughing at the point. Edward said, sounding smug, "I win."

"I didn't know we were having a contest." I said, wiping a tear out of the corner of my eye and patting Berlioz on the head.

"I knew."

"Well that's hardly fair is it?"

"Perhaps."

"Whatever, I'll talk to you later." I said after looking at the clock and noticing that I actually had to wake up in the morning.

"Are you working tomorrow?"

"Yep."

"I meant at the restaurant, actually."

"Oh. Probably not, I only fill in there sometimes."

"Oh that's too bad. My brother and his family are coming down; I was planning on taking them there for dinner."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Bye, Edward."

"Bye, Bella." I hung up the phone and sat on my bed. Was Edward disappointed that we wouldn't see each other again tomorrow? Was I?

"Hi, Dad," I said after calling him up on an impulse. I hadn't thought he'd answer.

"What's up, Bells?"

"Do you need any extra hands tomorrow night?"

"Well, not really but we could always use an extra hostess."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Sure thing." I climbed under my covers and Berlioz padded over and snuggled next to me.

"So why are you working for your dad tonight?" Alice asked me as I curled my hair. She was on speaker phone and Berlioz kept looking around, wondering where the mystery voice was coming from.

"Oh, I just don't want to spend Friday night home all alone." I put on my all black outfit and red scarf. The color scheme of Forks was red and black. As a hostess, I had some liberty in what I wore as long as it matched.

"Sure." Alice dragged the word out, making sure I could _see_ the sarcasm.

"Edward might be there," I mumbled, picking up my mascara and staring at it. Did I want to risk poking myself in the eye tonight? Yes. On the other end of the phone, Alice squealed.

"Tell me all about it tomorrow; you're still coming, right?"

"Yes, I'm still coming."

"Good, because you pinky swore."

"I know."

I said goodbye to Alice, and took a deep breath. I made sure Berlioz's bowl was full and left my condo. I was nervous during the car ride. My fingers kept tapping the wheel and I was biting my lower lip.

"Bella, how are you?" Dad greeted me when I got to Forks.

"Great, Dad," I smiled and made my way to the podium. My fellow host was a quiet guy named Eric and I didn't mind the lagging conversation; it left me to my own thoughts.

Two hours into work, I was feeling tired. My feet were sore from the high heels and my fingers were getting cramped from scribbling down names and shuffling through menus.

_It'll be worth it,_ I kept telling myself.

"All I'm saying is that you need to get laid!"

"Emmett, tone it down."

"_Really_, Emmett, we're in public."

"Oh yeah," a burly man walked through the door, grinning and looking around. A couple people who had heard were staring at him, but he was indifferent. His hair was dark and curly, his eyes hazel and his smile huge. He was holding an adorable little boy in his arms. He moved to the side and a beautiful blonde came in behind him and behind her, Edward and Charlie.

I felt stunned. My stomach tightened and I stared at them. Edward was shaking his head, but the corners of his mouth were turned up. He looked toward the podium and froze. Charlie kept walking to be with the big man and blonde woman, but Edward stood still. We stared at each other, just feet apart.

"Edward, get your head out of the clouds, there's a line," said the blonde. Edward looked over at them, their expressions were curious. I looked down and smiled. When I looked back up, he had rejoined his family.

"Bro, you're drooling," said the man. I snorted and Eric looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders, as if I didn't know what had happened.

Looking around, I noticed that there was only one other family waiting to be seated; Eric was helping them. The crowd had died down tonight and it was getting late. The blonde stepped forward and smiled at me. Suddenly, I realized that this must be Edward's manager Rosalie; I've seen some pictures of her. She's known for her assertiveness, many people are scared of her. I brace myself for a snide tone, or rude comment.

"Hi, table for four plus a high chair, please," she said sweetly. I stared at her, but realized she was expecting a response. I nodded and looked at the chart for any free tables; none were.

"That'll be about fifteen minutes," I said. "Can I get a name?"

"Cullen," Rosalie said, taking the buzzer from me. She returned to the others and told them about the wait.

"Fifteen minutes? But I'm hungry now!" the man, who must have been Edward's brother Emmett, said.

"But the food is really yummy, Uncle Em," Charlie said. I sighed, she was so adorable.

**Edward**

When I walked into Forks, I had been trying to ignore my stupid brother. He was talking about how I need to have sex. Apparently, I'm 'too uptight'. I shook my head, honestly, my daughter was right there!

As I walked through the door I looked toward the podium where we would go to be seated; then I saw Bella. I was in shock. I froze, standing there idiotically. Bella and I stared at each other and thoughts whirred through my head. Hadn't she said she wasn't working tonight? Why was she here? Was it because of me?

Rosalie told me to get my head out of the clouds and I looked at them. Rose and Em looked curious, but the look on Charlie's face surprised me. Her eyes flickered between me and Bella and there was a small smile on her face. How could my five year old be so observant?

"Bro, you're drooling," Emmett said when I rejoined them. I heard a snort and glanced at Bella. She was looking at her co-worker and didn't notice, so I returned my attention to my brother.

"Hi, table for four plus a high chair, please," Rosalie said to Bella. Leave it to her to step up and take charge. Bella nodded and told her that there would be a short wait. When Rose came back and told us about the wait, Emmett complained; of course.

"But the food is really yummy, Uncle Em," Charlie said. I smiled at my daughter, I loved her more and more every day and I had never thought that would be possible. We sat on some chairs and waited for our table.

"Mom is thinking about breeding," Emmett said casually; I started to gag.

"Didn't she kind of do that already?"

"He means breeding Marie," Rose said, taking Zach from him.

"Oh." I thought about my little cat. I had gotten her three years ago and wished I could've kept her. I was thinking about taking her back, but was unsure. My traveling had died down recently.

"I'll have to talk to her about it," I said. I noticed Charlie playing peek-a-boo with Zach and chuckled.

"Ehem." Someone cleared their throat and I looked up. Bella stood directly in front of me. She bit gently on her bottom lip and asked, "Would you like to look at menus while you wait?"

"Yes!" Emmett said, taking one from her.

"I'll look on with my husband," Rose said, smiling and then looking at the open menu Emmett had.

"I don't need to look at one." I said. _But I'd like to look at you, _I thought as Bella walked back to her podium. A large family had come in and she had to help them since he co-worker had mysteriously disappeared.

Charlie climbed onto my lap and smiled at me. That was her 'I want something' smile. I rolled my eyes and she giggled. "What do you want, sweet heart?" I asked her, touching my forehead to hers and staring at her.

"Can I get a brownie like last time?"

"Only if you're not too full after you finish your dinner." Charlie leaned back and patted her stomach.

"I won't get full, I have a big tummy."

"Charlie, don't say that people will think you're fat," Rose scolded, but Charlie and I just laughed. I looked up and saw Bella staring, a small smile on her face.

When we were seated at a big booth in a corner, Emmett told me he needed to go to the bathroom. I just stared at him. What were we, women? Since when did he need someone to go to the bathroom with him?

"Just come on, dork." Emmett said, pulling me away.

"Why do I have to come in here, tool?" I asked as the door swung shut behind us. The nicknames we had for each other didn't seem loving to a passerby, but Emmett and I had a strange bond.

"That's Bella isn't it?" I nodded and Emmett whooped. "I'm brilliant."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"So how are things between the two of you?"

"There's nothing between us. I kind of like her, but nothing is going to happen."

"What do you mean?"

"I have Charlie to think about. If I start having a thing with Bella, but then we leave, Charlie will be disappointed."

"Just don't tell her."

"That's stupid, Em." I glared at him for even suggesting that I keep something that important from my daughter.

"Hey, don't get mad for me suggesting you don't tell her a small detail like possibly dating someone. You're the one who hasn't told her the truth about Jane." Perhaps my brother really was brilliant.

Supper went well and I enjoyed spending time with Rose, Emmett and Zach. Charlie seemed so excited and her laughter was contagious. Whenever I could, I snuck a peak at Bella. Our eyes met a couple times and I swear she blushed.

Now, I was trying to get ready to go to Rosalie's cousin's house. Charlie was running around the hotel room, yelling that she didn't want me to do her hair.

"Please, Charlie, just let me do it so I can get ready." I pleaded with her. She stopped and faced me, crossing her arms and glaring at the brush in my hand. I swear she could be so stubborn.

"Auntie Rose can fix it, though?" I nodded my head and she walked over and let me put her hair in a pony tail. She smiled up at me when I finished and all traces of the little argument disappeared. I bent down and kissed her on the nose. Charlie kissed my nose, too and I grinned.

"I love you," I told her.

"I love you, too, Daddy."

**Bella**

Alice called me and she actually sounded frantic. Apparently, her cookies had burned and her pork chops weren't defrosting. I started to laugh and I could feel her glaring through the phone.

"Calm down, Ali, I'm coming." So I finished getting dressed and went to the grocery store. Alice would have fixed my hair anyway; I might as well not do it.

At the check out at the grocery store I felt the pervy teen staring at my chest. I glared at him and he didn't even notice. I sure was glad to get out of there. When I pulled up in front of Alice's house I fell in love with it. It was my first time seeing it and the pictures she showed me didn't do the charming place justice.

Alice had told me to let myself in, so I grabbed my bags and went inside. I followed the smell of burning and the sound of cussing to the kitchen. I instantly felt jealous, wishing my condo had a kitchen like this.

"Thank God!" Alice said, when she noticed me; I laughed and set down the groceries.

"What would you do with out me?"

"Feed my cousin-in-law McDonalds?"

"You're lucky we're friends." I tell her seriously.

"I know."

"I do expect a reward for this."

"Like?"

"Like being allowed to use this kitchen whenever I want," I said, rubbing my hands on the counter.

"Deal. You have to let me do your hair though."

"I expected that. Now, shoo, go get ready and I'll cook."

"Okie pokie," Alice said, kissing me on the cheek and running away. I chuckled and started taking out dishes. I was going to make pasta, with a special meat sauce as well as a salad. For dessert, berry cobbler and chocolate chip cookies.

"Oh, thank God," Jasper said when he walked into the kitchen and saw me cooking.

"Hey, Jas," I said, smiling over my shoulder at him. He stuck his fingers in the salad bowl and grabbed an apple chunk.

"Hands out," I said, Jasper just laughed.

"Honestly, I thought I was going to have to go get take out."

"What has she been feeding you?"

"Not much, variety wise. She's just nervous about Rosalie being here."

"Rosalie?"

"Yeah, my cousin; the two of them don't get along very well."

"Was she at the wedding?"

"No, she couldn't make it; which is another reason why Alice doesn't like her."

I stirred and thought for a moment. The only other Rosalie I could think of was Edward's manager. But that couldn't be possible, could it?

After awhile, when I was sure that it would be okay to step away from the stove, I made my way upstairs and let Alice make me over. She really did pick an appropriate job.

"Hold still," Alice said as she came at me with the mascara. This was my least favorite part, it always made me feel like she going to poke my eye out.

"Sorry, Alice." I sighed and tried to ignore the pointy stick near my eyes.

"Something on your mind?"

"Yeah, the sauce. Hurry up so I can go stir it." Alice laughed and finished with the mascara.

"Do you dislike Jasper's cousin?" I asked Alice.

"We don't really get along."

"That's what Jasper said."

"Well, it's just that she always thinks that her way is the right way."

"Sounds like someone else I know." I said, standing up and looking at her. Alice rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and started to pout. "Don't be such a baby." I gave her a quick hug before going downstairs to make sure supper wasn't burning.

I stayed in the kitchen for the next half hour. Alice came in a couple times and told me not to get anything on my shirt. I just ignored her. I had been cooking for as long as I could remember; I wasn't going to get anything on my shirt.

"Damn!" I exclaimed when the sauce dripped on my white blouse. Alice came running in and started to laugh.

"Told you so! Come on, there's just enough time for you to change."

"All I did was taste it," I groaned as I was pulled up the stairs and had a new shirt shoved into my hands.

"I know, honey. Now put this on." I changed into the navy blue top and headed back to the kitchen. Alice came with me and we talked about various things. She told me that she and Jasper wanted to paint the kitchen yellow.

"I like it green," I said. Green was my favorite color lately, and after seeing Edward last night I had realized it was because of his eyes.

"Says the lady who painted her kitchen orange." I laughed and hit Alice with a spoon. She hated the orange color of my kitchen; truthfully, as soon as that paint touched the walls I hated it too. However, I kept it just so I could piss her off.

"They're here, Ali!" Jasper yelled. Alice stiffened, and stared at me, wide eyed.

"Go on." I nudged her toward the door.

"Come with me," Alice said, dragging me with her.

"No!"

"Now, bitch!" I saw Jasper opening the door and figured it was too late to turn back so I stood to the side, behind the two of them as they welcomed their family into their home.

"Something smells good!" I looked down and smirked.

"Surprisingly," muttered a woman. I assumed that was Rosalie and I fumed at the insult aimed at Alice.

"Rosie, it's great to see you," Jasper said.

"Hi Jas. _Alice_."

"_Rosalie_." I looked at Alice and then at her cousin-in-law. They were staring daggers at each other, but their husbands were oblivious. I didn't even care though, because this was Rosalie; Edward's manager.

"Nice to see you, Alice!" Emmett boomed, holding their young son and hugging Alice at the same time. Rosalie's lips tightened in a thin line.

"Hey, I want you guys to meet some people," he said, ignoring looks from Rosalie. "Eddie, get your dorky butt in here."

In walked Edward, holding Charlie and looking amazing. He shook Jasper's hand and put Charlie down. She stretched and I wondered if she had been sleeping in the car. Suddenly, Alice's face lit up and I knew what she was thinking. I tried to back away but her hand had already wrapped around my wrist.

"And this is our friend Bella," Alice said, pushing me forward for everyone to see. Charlie looked up at me and smiled a great big toothy grin. I looked nervously at Edward and noticed he wasn't smiling. There was a different expression on his face, one that I hadn't been expecting.

"Nice to meet you all," I said. Emmett grinned and gave me a hug. I could see over his shoulder if I stretched enough and I noticed a small smile on Rosalie's face.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to check on our dinner." I left them and until dinner was ready to be served, I stayed in the kitchen. Once or twice I looked into the living room and watched Charlie playing with her cousin. I think I heard his name was Zach.

"Dinner is ready," I said. Everyone looked at me and Emmett grinned. I was beginning to recognize that one did not come between him and food.

"Can I have milk, Bella?" Charlie asked me.

"Now, Charlie, Bella has been cooking for awhile. I'll get you milk," Edward said. We stared at each other and I shook my head.

"I'd love to get you some, Charlie." I walked into the kitchen as everyone began to sit down in the dining room. When I got the gallon of milk out of the fridge I saw that Edward had followed me.

"I'm surprised she remembers me," I said, pouring the milk into a cup and handing it to him.

"She's a smart girl," Edward said quietly. I was curious about what was going on in his head. When we talked on the phone he hadn't sounded like this.

"I can tell."

We walked back into the dining room and took our seats. I was seated down the table from Edward. However, I couldn't help looking at him. He talked about the little things like they were the biggest moments in his life. Not once were his books mentioned. His favorite thing to talk about? Charlie.

"When she was four, she ate a button," Edward said, smiling at his daughter as she just shrugged and slurped up some spaghetti.

"She ate a button!" Alice asked.

"Yeah, and I freaked out. It was terrible; afterwards though, it was kind of funny. She kept saying 'you gone tell everyone, Daddy' and I do."

"Can I talk to you?" Edward asked me later on while we were sitting in the living room, watching an amusing game of Mario Cart going on between Emmett, Jasper and Charlie.

"Sure."

**Edward**

The moment I walked into Jasper and Alice's house I saw her. It was like I had radar and it went wild. I tried not to stare, that would have been weird. I could tell, though, that my brother and Rose were very amused and intrigued. Even Charlie seemed to sense what was going on. Hell, she even asked Bella to get her milk.

Finally, I decided that I needed to grow a pair and talk to her. This burning in the pit of my stomach was spreading through my entire body. I could feel it in my chest, in the tips of my fingers and behind my eyes. I wanted to brush that strand of hair out of her face. I wanted to kiss those lovely pink lips and rest my hand on the small of her back.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked her. Everyone was distracted. Charlie, Emmett and Jasper were playing Mario Cart and Charlie was kicking serious ass.

"Sure," Bella said. She stood up and walked away. I followed her because I felt that she would know somewhere secluded and private. The fire within me had seeped into my brain, and erased all rational thoughts as I half-hoped that she'd bring me to a bedroom. I shook my head, trying to get those things out. I just wanted to talk to her. Thankfully, we went into a study.

"So," Bella said, as I shut the door and looked at her. I rubbed the back of my neck and wondered where I should start.

"I've been thinking about you a lot," I said awkwardly; Bella blushed and looked down. _Open mouth, insert foot_, I thought.

"I've been thinking about you, too." I looked at her, feeling surprised that she had admitted to it.

"But it's weird." I huffed and sat down in one of the chairs. Bella sat down in the seat next to me and I could see her nodding her head in agreement.

"We barely know each other."

"I know."

"You're probably going back to New York soon, too."

"Yeah, I am."

"So nothing would really happen between us," Bella said. She was staring at the many shelves full of books. There was a thoughtful expression on her face and I wondered if she was thinking the same as I was; _could_ something happen between us?

"You're right," I finally said. Bella looked up at me and once more I wanted to brush her hair back behind her ear.

"I would still like to keep in touch. I think we should be friends." I smiled when she said that. It made me feel so hopeful, knowing that she would still be in my life in some way.

"Yes, definitely," I said and just so I could satisfy myself I leaned toward her. Bella's eyes started to drift closed and for a moment I realized she thought I was going to kiss her. I wanted to, but we had agreed that we wouldn't do that. So, I gently brushed aside her hair. Bella opened her eyes and we stared at each other. I was very much aware of my thumb resting on her cheek. When she looked down, I realized I'd been touching her for too long and I pulled my hand away.

"So, friends?" I said. Bella looked at me, and smiled.

"Friends," she said.

**Charlie**

They thought I didn't know.

But the first time I saw Bella, I knew she was Belle from Disney. It was because of her eyes and the way she smiled at me.

I saw how she smiled at Daddy, too.

And Daddy didn't know it yet, but he smiled at her the same way.

They were going to be together for ever and ever; even if I had to give them a little push first.

* * *

><p><strong>This was my contribution to the Fandom Against Famine Compilation. I have an idea and plan to continue it. Maybe during the summer it'll become a full story. You can vote on my profile on which story I should pick first to continue. This will be there so vote for it i you want to read more. :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Edward**

"_Katherine?" I asked as I searched in the dark for the hand that I knew would be there; not too close but not too far away._

"_Yes?" Her response found me as her hand did. The word was as soft as her skin._

"_Will you stay with me tonight?" I didn't want her to leave me. Whenever we slept together, we did it at a time that wasn't too late. So she inevitably would get up and go home to her own bed. I didn't understand it and it broke my heart a little each time._

_There was silence from her side of the bed. However, the blankets rustled and the hand in mine slowly slipped away. I couldn't see her get dressed in my dark room, but I knew she was. I could hear the tell tale sound of clothing being put on. I prepared myself for her soft kiss goodbye when suddenly she was back in bed._

"_You're not leaving?" I asked as her arm draped over my chest and her face nuzzled into the crook of my neck._

"_No, Anthony," she whispered. I could feel her smile against my neck and it brought a smile to my own mouth._

"_So those weren't your clothes you were putting on?"_

"_They were my pajamas, stupid." She had brought her pajamas? She knew I would want her to stay?_

"_I almost always bring my pajamas with me," she said quieter this time._

"_Then why don't you stay?" Women had always confused me, but never so much as Katherine._

"_You've never asked."_

**Bella**

I opened the door to the kitchen in Forks and breathed in the smell of freshly baked bread. Coming to the restaurant right before it opened, was my favorite thing to do. All the chefs were preparing their stations for the lunch rush and the waitresses were straightening their aprons.

"Is my dad around?" I asked Seth as he passed me with a stack of freshly cleaned trays.

"In his office," he replied. I thanked him and made my way to my dad's office in the back of the restaurant. Before entering the room I looked at the name on the door. _Charles "Charlie" Swan_

My dad's nickname was on the door to his office, sandwiched in between his first and last name. I wouldn't have been surprised if none of the customers knew that his name was Charles and not simply Charlie. Whenever I saw his name on the door, however, I thought of another Charlie that I knew. One whom I had known for only a few months, but had captured my heart.

The funny thing about this other Charlie was that she was a five year old little girl whom I had only ever spent time with for less than one week. She then moved back to New York City with her father; fifteen hours away from me. However, I talked to her on the phone regularly and she often mailed me pictures of the princesses she colored. The bottom line was that I loved Charlie and I missed her terribly.

"You wanted to see me Dad?" I said, as I opened the door and decided that for the moment I needed to get Charlie out of my mind; as well as her wonderful father.

"Bella!" My dad stood up and grinned at me as soon as I walked into his office. He circled around his desk and gave me a giant hug. He was such a teddy bear.

"Hi, Dad." I hugged him back and then sat in one of the chairs across from his desk. I wondered if he'd ask me to waitress today. If he did, I would pretend that I didn't want to and hesitate before agreeing to. I wondered if he knew that I was currently unemployed.

The job at Disney World was great and I loved it. However, about a month ago I started to feel like I just didn't want to do it anymore. I was tired of acting and just wanted to be myself. I turned in my letter of resignation and left without looking back. Alice was upset that I quit, but I still saw her nearly every day so she eventually got over it.

"Bella, I want you to move to New York City," my dad said to me shortly after he sat back down in his own chair. I gaped at him, unsure whether or not I'd heard him correctly. He laughed at my expression and began to explain.

"I recently received a phone call from a very successful business man who resides in NYC. He had dined here recently and thought that if we opened a branch in the city it would be a very successful opportunity for us."

"So you want me to move there because?"

"I want you to head the new restaurant. You will work with people designing it and setting everything up. Then you will be the manager!"

"But Dad, I thought you would pass down this place to me and I was going to manage this place here in Florida. How can I manage a place in Florida and New York at the same time? They're fifteen hours apart! And I've barely even had a lot of experience here!"

My thoughts tumbled out of my mouth, many of them incoherent as I simply babbled on and on. I watched amusement flicker in my father's eyes. What was this nonsense that he was spewing!? I couldn't believe it. I took a deep breath and let the idea that he was presenting to me sink in.

In my mind New York City meant two things.

One: Seeing Charlie again

And Two: Seeing Edward

**Edward**

"So what did you think?" I asked Rose. Late last night I had sent her a piece from the next book that I had been working on. I felt like it was raw and emotional, something that revealed a lot about Anthony and Katherine's relationship.

"It was wonderful, Edward, everything you've been sending me has been."

I smiled and reached in my cabinets to retrieve a cutting board. If Rose liked it then I was definitely going in a good direction with things. I peeled a banana while I listened to Rose chatter about the book release coming in the next week. Finally, she said goodbye and I hung up the phone. Now I could concentrate on chopping the banana and strawberries. My mother always said not to cut anything while talking on the phone or I would chop a finger off. She was probably right.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." A small hand pulled on my pants and I looked down at my daughter. She was still in her Pocahontas night gown and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"I know Charlie, I'm almost done." I plopped the bananas and strawberries in the bowl and poured milk over her Cheerios. "Viola! A gourmet breakfast for Princess Charlotte."

I held the bowl in front of her and she started to laugh at me. Her laugh was my favorite thing in the world. If it could be bottled and given to sick, it would probably cure all illnesses. Charlie skipped to the table and sat down in her spot. I placed the bowl in front of her and she simply stared at me.

"Right! I almost forgot!" I ran back to the drawers and grabbed a fork and a spoon. Hiding the spoon behind my back, I presented the fork to my daughter.

"Daddy, I can't use a fork!" she exclaimed, sounding absolutely astounded that she would have a father daft enough to think that forks were for eating cereal with.

"Oh silly me!" I swapped out her fork for the spoon and she smiled and dug in.

While Charlie ate her breakfast, I opened my laptop. My mother had sent me an email, telling me that she expected Charlie and me for dinner tomorrow night. I didn't understand why she always had to send me a reminder email. Whenever I was in the city we went to Sunday night dinner at my parents'.

Also in my inbox was a message from Bella. I sucked in my breath and wondered what it said. The last time I had emailed her I had asked her if she would want to come to the city next week to attend my book release party. I had been nervous asking her this. Although I knew she wouldn't think it meant anything. We were friends. That was all. Nothing had happened, nothing was happening and nothing was going to happen. With that thought, I opened her email.

_Thanks for the invite Edward! I'll have to see if I can move some stuff around and then check if I'm able to get a flight in. I'll get back to you on it asap._

That was it. Three sentences. Part of me felt disappointed about such a short response. She hadn't even asked me how Charlie was, and she always did that.

"Daddy, can you play me something on the piano?" I looked at Charlie. She had put her bowl in the kitchen sink and was smiling up at me.

I nodded at her and gently led her to the piano. "Okay, one song and then you have to get dressed."

**Bella**

"So you finally told him you quit working at the park?" Alice asked instead of saying hello when I called her that afternoon. Sometimes I wondered how she knew these things.

"Your dad texted me about it, just so you know," she said, answering my silent questions.

"You and my dad text each other? I didn't even know you had his number."

Alice mumbled something that sounded like "He's been giving me cooking lessons."

I squealed and she told me to shut up. I was happy for her though. Alice couldn't cook to save her life. Mostly though I was happy for Jasper; the poor guy was surviving just on take out, pasta and chicken.

I continued to tell Alice about my dad's idea for me to move to New York. She, of course, thought that I was a great opportunity for me but was upset that she wouldn't get to see me so often if I took the job. We chatted about the pros and cons of me trying to start a new branch of the restaurant in the big city when she voiced something that I had been trying to avoid.

"You know you'll get to see Edward and Charlie, right?" I glanced at my laptop as she said that. I wondered if Edward had gotten my email and what he thought of it. I wondered if my vague response would be enough for him to beg and insist that I had to come. I hoped it would be.

_Stop thinking those things about your FRIEND,_ I scolded myself.

"Well, I might already be seeing them next week," I said. Alice screamed with delight and in the background I heard a very concerned Jasper asking if everything was alright.

I told my friend about the book party invitation and she told me that I could use her frequent flyer miles to get a cheap flight. I considered the offer for a moment and agreed upon the condition that she let me teach her how to bake crème puffs. It was a strange condition, I know, but it had been difficult for me to master crème puffs so I assumed it would be fun to watch Alice try it.

When I hung up with Alice I called my dad and told him that I was going to New York in a few days for a book release. While I was there I would check out the restaurant location and look at a few apartments.

"If the place looks promising and I can find a good apartment that allows cats, then I'll do it," I told him as I scratched behind Berlioz's ears. He was thrilled and soon after I hung up with him I received an email from Alice saying that she had already taken care of my plane tickets.

I would be flying into the city on Wednesday and staying until the following Wednesday, according the Alice's email. I wasn't sure what made her choose those days; perhaps they were the only available ones. However, I was glad that I would get to stay for a week. It would give me more time to check out the restaurant and apartments, as well as see Edward and Charlie.

Part of me wanted to email Edward right away and tell him the news, but another part of me wanted to wait until later tonight when Charlie would be asleep and I could call him. I loved talking on the phone with Charlie, but it was when she was sleeping that Edward and I could have long, carefree conversations. So instead, I searched online for realtors in New York and emailed one, telling her about my situation and when I'd be in town. She returned my email almost immediately.

The rest of my afternoon was spent emailing the realtor, Angela Cheney and cooking dinner. Alice and Jasper were coming over that night to eat with me and I was making Jasper's favorite: chili.

As soon as my friends arrived I felt like something was different between them. It was almost like they knew something that I didn't and were trying their hardest to act like it wasn't there. However, Alice seemed her perfectly normal self and Jasper drooled at the smell of chili as soon as he walked in. So I put the idea out of my mind and continued cooking the corn bread, occasionally tossing tips to Alice and laughing at stories from Jasper's childhood.

**Edward**

As soon as I put Charlie to bed I decided to call Emmett. I had been calling and texting Rosalie somewhere between three and five times everyday for the past week or two. It was always this way before a book release. Rose wanted everything to be perfect. I did too, of course but I left most of the work to her.

In all the commotion, however, I hadn't talked to my brother in almost a week. Actually, it was probably last Sunday night when I was leaving Mom and Dad's house after dinner that we had talked. So we were overdue for a chat.

I poured myself a beer and sat down in the living room. My chair looked out the large window in our apartment and I had a wonderful view of the city. Emmett answered the phone on the third ring.

"Rose is trying to get Zach to sleep right now, she'll have to call you back," he said before I could even greet him. It had only been a week since we last talked and yet he sounded different.

"I was actually calling to talk to you, man," I said.

"Oh." Emmett sounded surprised, but happy at that so I was glad that I had given my little brother a call. Despite the fact that we'd see each other at dinner tomorrow, I wanted to talk to him at that moment.

After an hour of casual talk I looked at the clock and noticed that it was nine thirty. Sometimes Bella called on Saturday nights. She called at least once a week, usually to talk to Charlie. However, on Saturday nights she would call after Charlie was in bed, just to talk to me. I figured she wasn't going to call tonight and returned my attention to my brother, who had just asked me something I hadn't heard.

"Sorry, Em, what was that?" I asked, making obvious the fact that I was distracted.

"Rose told me tonight that she wants to have another baby," he said quietly. I wondered if that was why he sounded so strange when he first answered the phone. I thought about my nephew Zach. He was an amazing nephew; I loved him and so did Charlie.

"I think Zach would love having a younger sibling," I said, trying to choose my words carefully. I knew why Emmett would be worried about this but I wanted him to open up and tell me about it instead of me doing all the talking.

"I know he would. It's just… it was so hard the first time. We were trying to have him for ages and it nearly tore Rose apart. She wanted to have a baby so badly and the fact that we just weren't conceiving was so hard for her. I don't know if I can go through it again! If it's the same as last time… I just can't stand to see her so upset and disappointed."

"I guess," I said slowly, choosing my words as carefully as I choose them while writing a novel, "You have to think about how upset she'll be if you refuse to even try to have another baby. Zach was healthy; there wasn't anything wrong with the pregnancy or his birth. You guys just had trouble conceiving. I know it started to upset her but do you remember how happy she finally was once you found out about Zach?"

"Yeah."

"You should also ask yourself, do you want another baby too?"

"I do."

"Then I think you should go talk to Rose. Tell her that you want to try for another, but also discuss with her why you're hesitating. Personally, I think it's really ridiculous for you to not even try. You guys may conceive on your very first try this time! You never really know."

"I guess you're right. I'll go talk to her."

"Okay, man, let me know how it goes tomorrow."

"I will. Thanks, Edward."

"No problem."

Emmett hung up the phone and I sat back in my chair and simply gazed at the city lights. I had to admit that I, too, wanted another baby. It was something that I'd wanted for a couple years. I loved children and I always felt like Charlie longed for a sibling. However, I still felt like no woman was as important as Charlie was. If I ever had another child it would be with a woman that I definitely loved, not a woman like Jane.

Suddenly my cell phone beeped and I wondered who it could be. Maybe it was Emmett telling me he was too much of a baby to talk to Rose about well… babies. When I looked at the phone, though, my heart skipped a beat; it was Bella.

_You up?_

I wondered if I should give it a minute before responding to her text. I didn't want to seem too eager, and yet I didn't want her to take it as me not being awake. So I sent a "yeah" back to her and got up to get another beer.

As I was pouring it my phone rang. I was glad it was silenced; I didn't want Charlie to wake up and then be grouchy tomorrow.

"Hey," I said, answering the phone and tucking it between my ear and shoulder. I began browsing through my cabinets for a snack. Mom always said late night snacking was bad for you, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

"Hey," Bella said. It had been a few days since we had actually talked. She had called on Tuesday and we exchanged a few words before Charlie quickly confiscated the phone from me. Even though we talked fairly often, I was always swept away by the sound of her voice.

"How are things?" I triumphantly pulled a bag of tortilla chips from the cabinet. I had known there was salsa in the fridge but wasn't sure of we had the chips. I sat at the counter with my chips, salsa and beer and waited for Bella to respond.

"Things are good. I'm trying to dry dishes and eat chocolate cake at the same time so sorry if I get distracted at all," she said with a laugh.

"I'm having chips and salsa."

"I had chili for dinner with Alice and Jasper so I kind of needed something chocolaty, ya know?"

"How are they doing by the way?" I hadn't talked to Alice or Jasper in two or three months. Emmett mentioned them from time to time, but I didn't know them very well so I didn't really keep in touch.

"Well, Alice is pregnant." I also did a spit take of my beer. How much would I have to talk about babies tonight?

"That's great," I said. I hoped it didn't sound sarcastic because I was extremely happy for them. I knew however, that Rosalie didn't really like Alice and wondered how she would react to the news. Would she be happy for her? Or jealous?

There was silence on Bella's end for a few minutes. I heard some dishes clattering and a few meows from her cat. She sent me pictures of him a sometimes, but I hadn't gotten to meet him during our trip to Florida. Of course, it would've been strange if I had since we had only known each other for a few days.

"So, um, Edward… I've been keeping something from you." My chip pauses on its way to my mouth and I wonder what she might say. We both acknowledged our feelings for one another four months ago. We also acknowledged that dating would be too weird and we were better off friends. Could she be having second thoughts?

"Yes?" I croaked out, my throat was suddenly dry and I needed to take a few gulps of my beer.

"I don't work at Disney World anymore." For the second time that night I almost spat my beer all over my kitchen counter.

"Since when!?" I exclaimed. I tried to do the math in my head. She had been there four months ago when Charlie and I had gone on our trip. That was where I met her. She was the best Belle cosplayer that I had seen during our entire trip. In the past four months of our friendship she always seemed to have a story about something that happened at work. Although, now that she brought it up I realized that I had not heard about Disney World in a couple weeks.

"A month ago." Part of me was a little hurt that she had kept it from me for so long. However, a month was only one fourth of how long we had known each other for. I couldn't expect too much from her yet.

"Edward?" Bella said. I realized that I had not spoken for a few minutes and she was probably waiting for my reaction.

"Sorry, I'm just surprised. I mean, I thought that you loved it there!"

"Well I did. It just hadn't been feeling right for the last few weeks I was there. I guess I just felt tired of acting like someone I'm not. Whenever I waitress I can be myself and people know me by name and they know the things that I like and dislike. I can just be me."

"Excuse me for saying this but when I saw you at the park you looked extremely happy and seemed a lot like yourself. Hell, you were Belle! If that's not practically your own name, I don't know what is."

"My dad said pretty much the same thing."

"Well if you're happy now that's really all that matters in the end."

"I love Disney, but the job was always just going to be temporary until I was ready to join the restaurant business with my dad. Although I did quit working there before I was ready to join the family business, I think I'm ready now. Plus there's an opportunity for the restaurant and my dad really wants me to take charge of it."

Bella continued to tell me about the second restaurant opening up here in New York. She was coming on Wednesday to look at the new location and try to figure out if it was a good place. Also on her list of things to do on her visit: find an apartment that allows cats and attend my book release party. I was ecstatic. Something in the pit of my stomach began to heat up and ache; it was longing, I realized as it spread throughout my entire body.

It wasn't even sexual longing (although I was trying really hard to push down the tent being pitched in my sweatpants). The longing I felt in my stomach was the kind that you felt when you knew that you needed to be with someone so badly that it hurt to be away from them. I yearned to see this girl who had become such a close friend. I wanted to hug her and tell her how amazing she was for interacting with Charlie the way she did. I wanted to sit with her at the counter and watch her while we talked; see her eyes flash, nose wrinkle and smile widen as we spoke instead of imagining how her expressions looked, one thousand miles away.

"You still there, Edward?" Bella asked. Her voice was quiet and sweet.

"Yes, Bella."

"I'm really excited to see Charlie," she said and after a long pause added, "and you."

"I'm excited to see you too, Bella. I'll tell Charlie tomorrow that you're coming. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to spend some time with you."

"I was wondering if the three of us could do something one day. Maybe you guys could show me the city."

"How about the Sunday after the party?"

"That sounds perfect, I'm looking forward to it."

**Bella**

The next couple of days were filled with many emails from my realtor and plenty of shopping trips with Alice. She wanted to take me to some of her favorite stores so I could find an appropriate outfit for the party on Saturday. On Monday night I got a surprise call from Charlie, telling me how excited she was to see me and begging me to visit them right away when I arrived on Wednesday.

I told her that I would try my best, but I might not make it until dinner time. There was a meeting with the realtor to go to and I also had to get settled in at my hotel. However, she seemed perfectly fine with that and told me that she and Edward would cook me a fabulous meal. I heard Edward chuckling in the background and I had to smile at how adorable the two of them were.

Wednesday was nerve racking for me. The last time I had been on a plane was when I was in fifth grade and took a trip with my dad to visit his parents in Washington. Nothing special happened during the trip and the flights were easy because I had my dad with me. Now I was facing this by myself. However, Alice and my dad both gave me plenty of tips while they drove me to the airport that morning.

During my flight I sat between an older man and his wife. I offered to switch places with one of them so that they could sit next to each other. The woman smiled at me, the corners of her eyes crinkling.

"Sweetie, when you've been married for fifty years, a little time apart doesn't hurt." Her husband harrumphed in agreement and opened up a fishing magazine.

"Fifty years?" I said. I don't think I had ever met someone who had been married for so long. My own parents were married for six years before my mother ran off with another man and left me with my dad. Not that I minded; my dad was much more pleasant than her and did a fantastic job raising a daughter on his own.

"Yes, dear. We're actually on our way to The Big Apple to celebrate. We have a daughter who lives there so we're visiting her, but we also want to see the city again. It's where we met."

For the rest of the flight Margo told me about the past fifty years of her life. How she and Donald met in a café when she was eighteen and they got married when she was twenty. She told me funny stories about raising their five children and showed me pictures of there grandkids. Occasionally Donald chimed in and told me not to listen to her; he hadn't knocked the Christmas tree over, it was the cat.

When it was time to get off the plane, I was a bit sad that I would be leaving this lovely couple. Margo gave me a hug and wished me all the best. Donald told me about a couple restaurants I should visit before returning to Florida. I promised him I would and then we went our separate ways. All I wanted to do was check in at my hotel and relax. However, right after I deposited my things in my room I had to leave and meet my realtor.

New York City swept me away the moment I got there. I could definitely see myself staying there. I guess you could say it was like Disney World for adults; it was magical. When Angela and I had emailed she told me about the city's beauty and the breathtaking effect it had on you when you first arrived. She assured me, however, that I would quickly get used to it.

I met her in a Starbucks down the street from my hotel. She was petite, like Alice. I was instantly jealous of her perfectly curled, shoulder length hair and became very conscious of my messy pony tail that was still showing the after math of being pressed again a plane head rest for the past few hours. My first impression of her was that she and Alice would probably bond over clothes, because what she was wearing was fabulous.

"You must be Bella," she said as I approached her. She extended a hand for me to shake and I wondered if she was more like me than Alice. Her quiet, soothing voice certainly wasn't like my friend's.

For the next three hours Angela and I sat in the coffee shop. We discussed the things I was looking for in my new apartment. Price range, pets or no pets, scenic view, distance from new restaurant and more were all on her list. I liked Angela, though, because she didn't just talk about business. We spent a good half hour talking about our cats.

"Well I think I know some listings that I can bring you to look at. Does tomorrow work for you?" I tried to think. Tomorrow was Thursday right? I hadn't changed time zones but that plane ride had made me a little confused about the date.

"It'll have to be after two, I'm going to look at the new restaurant," I said. She smiled and wrote something down on the pad of paper she had with her.

"That's perfect actually; my mom can't watch my son until one tomorrow so it'll work out well." I stared at her, surprised that she had a son because she hadn't mentioned him at all.

"How old is he?"

"He's nine months old." Angela whipped out her phone to show me a picture of her adorable dark haired little boy. He didn't have her hazel eyes but other than that he looked just like her.

"What's his name?"

"Harry," she smiled and put her phone away, "My husband and I are both big Harry Potter fans so that's how we chose it. I didn't want to at first, but couldn't help it. I love the name so much, anyways."

"It's a great name." I was the type of person who would name my child after a fictional character that I loved as well so I could understand where they were coming from.

We ended our meeting at four and Angela walked me back to my hotel. She said that I'd know my way around in no time, if I decided to stay that is. Once back in my hotel room I decided to lie day for a little bit. The bed was like a cloud and I wanted to sink into it and stay there for next three days.

I rolled over in my bed and saw on the clock that it was five thirty already. I was supposed to be at Edward's at six thirty. Muttering a few choice swear words I leapt out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I still smelled like plane, so I desperately needed a shower. However, I couldn't give myself time to unwind under the hot stream of water. I had a dinner to get ready for!

Alice had helped me piece together a few outfits for the week. She was so much better at it than me. However, when I showed her what I wanted to wear for dinner she simply nodded her head in approval. I wanted to wear leggings so that I could play with Charlie. If she wanted to run around the house or play on the floor, I could do so without worrying about keeping down my skirt or how tight my jeans were. I paired a flowy purple and blue top and cute black ankle boots with the leggings.

It was a nice and casual outfit. I had worried that Alice would try to dress me up, but I think she understood that I wanted it to be this way. I was going to wear something that I'd wear to dinner at Alice and Jasper's not to dinner at a five star restaurant. After staring for a long time at my makeup I decided not to use any. This was just Edward and Charlie; I didn't need to wear makeup for them. They were my friends and probably didn't give two shits.

I grabbed my purse, caught a cab and headed to their apartment. I wondered what it would be like. Edward had mentioned that his mother was an interior designer. Would she have made all the choices for the décor or had Edward had the say? The taxi driver pulled up in front of another sky scraper. This one, however, was different. It wasn't as tall as some of its neighbors and seemed, well, homier. I saw couples strolling in and out with baby strollers. I saw older men in suits with briefcases, arriving home from a hard day at work. Most importantly, I saw Edward standing on the sidewalk. His arms were crossed and he was shifting from one foot to another.

My heart skipped a beat when I realized that he had come down to greet me. He wasn't going to just leave me to wander in and find his apartment on my own. I paid the driver and stepped out onto the side walk. The cab sped back into traffic and I was left alone. Not for long though because Edward spotted me a few seconds later. I could have sworn that his smile lit up the entire street when he saw me.

_It's not you, he smiles like that all the time,_ I told myself. However, the fact of the matter was that I had only seen him smile in person a few times. Other than that I only had photos. I think a part of me had forgotten that Edward Cullen was fucking beautiful.

He was not handsome. He was not striking. He was not attractive. He was not gorgeous. He was not hot. He was not hunky. He was not sexy.

Well ok he _was_ sexy.

However, Edward Cullen was beautiful and that was the _only_ word that could be used to describe him. People often used beautiful for women over men. Yet it had to be used for this man because he exuded beauty. His beauty was not the delicate kind that was found in women.

His beauty was the mouth watering smell of fresh baked apple pie. His beauty was the familiar sound of your favorite song. His beauty was the first night sleeping in freshly washed sheets. His beauty was freshly cut grass and the early morning cooing of birds. His beauty was the sound of an old, ticking clock in your childhood home.

Combined, it was everything that you hoped for when you were growing up and imagining the beautiful man that you were going to be with one day. It wasn't just his good looks that made him beautiful, it was the way he walked, talked, laughed and lived. Yes, Edward Cullen was a perfect, beautiful man.

"Hi Bella." When I heard his voice I realized that he was standing directly in front of me and that it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

"Hi Edward." Did my voice sound normal? Did it crack from nervousness?

_No, no, no, NO! Snap out of this right now!_ I scolded myself in my head. Perhaps this sudden dizziness was simply a side effect of not having seen Edward for so long. It had to be. Once we were upstairs with Charlie and eating the dinner they had made, everything would be normal. It would all be fine.

It had to be.

**Edward**

The moment my eyes fell upon Bella outside of my apartment all I wanted to do was run up to her and fold her into my arms. I hadn't seen her in so long and I realized then how terribly I had missed her. As I walked towards her though I recognized the same tingling feeling spreading throughout my body that had been there whenever I was with her in Florida and all I could think was, _I'm screwed._

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Wow guys, long time no write, huh? Tell me how you liked it! I've been thinking about the story for awhile now and decided that I needed to get back into it (Right before I go back to school! Wasn't that a good decision?)**

**Also, any comments about NYC would be good too because I've never been there. Notice how I didn't really describe the city in detail yet? So comments about cool touristy places and nice restaurants would be super appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Bella**

"What is your favorite thing about kindergarten, Charlie?" During our phone calls she often told me stories about school, however they were often about her friends' shenanigans on the playground. I never got to hear much about what she learned. While we ate dinner, I wanted to hear all about it from her.

"Story time," she said; her mouth was full of carrots but I understood her perfectly. Edward gave her a look that said, _don't chew with your mouth full_. Her sheepish grin was so adorable I wanted to take a picture of it to save forever.

"What kind of stories do you read?"

"Every story!" I laughed and took a bite of my ham. The dinner they had cooked for me really was delicious, I was impressed.

"Okay, so which story is your favorite?"

Charlie put her fork down and stared off into space. I supposed she was thinking very hard about her answer. I always did the same when asked about a favorite book. There were too many to choose from!

"The Cat In The Hat."

"That's a good one."

"It was my favorite when I was your age," Edward chimes in. I glance at him and smile. Since our reunion on the sidewalk I've stuffed my feelings back into the recesses of my mind. I don't think about his beauty and the butterflies dancing in my stomach. My only thoughts are for his daughter.

"Daddy can Bella and me play with my dolls?" Charlie asked as soon as she finished her dinner. I smiled at her and looked at Edward, applying the best puppy dog eyes I could.

"Can we Edward? Please?"

A funny look crossed his face but as quickly as it was there, it was gone and he was smiling and nodding. Charlie jumped out of her seat and ran over to kiss him on the cheek. Then she took me by the hand and led me out of the dining room. I felt a little bad, leaving Edward to clean up by himself. I hoped he wouldn't do it until later. Once Charlie was in bed I would help him.

"This is Amy and this is Clara, you can play with Clara." Charlie handed me the brunet doll and kept the ginger one for herself. We spent the next hour running around the living room with them. I lost myself in the game and didn't even notice the time pass. I also didn't notice when

Edward came and sat down in an arm chair overlooking the city. All of a sudden he was there telling Charlie it was time to get ready for bed.

"But I don't wanna Daddy!"

"It's a school night, princess," Edward said as he scooped Charlie up in his arms and nuzzled her nose.

"Will you stay for my bed time story, Bella?" Charlie asked, looking at me over her father's shoulder. Edward glanced at me as well and I nodded. I didn't want to leave them. It wasn't just because of my attraction to Edward (which needed to go away, dammit!), it was also because I couldn't stand to let Charlie down.

As Edward got Charlie into her pajamas, I wandered around their apartment. There was a plethora of picture frames in every room. Some hung on walls, some were placed on side tables and some occupied shelves. I noticed that nearly all of the photos were of their family. One of them was a picture of Emmett and Rosalie on their wedding day; Emmett was giving Rosalie a piggy back ride. Another was of a much younger Charlie holding a white kitten. My favorite was one of Edward and Emmett. They were much younger; Emmett was wearing a graduation gown. Edward's arm was slung across his brother's shoulder; the two of them were laughing, looking at each other and paying no attention to the camera.

"Bella!" I smiled and made my way toward Charlie's room.

Truthfully, I had expected a fully pink room with sparkles and princesses everywhere. Instead, Charlie's room was painted blue. Her comforter was a galaxy pattern, the kind I saw on every other girl's leggings during my meeting at Starbucks with Angela. The walls were covered in posters and drawings. I noticed many strange looking stuffed toys.

"What is this?" I asked, picking up on of the toys. Charlie gasped and Edward's eyes widened.

"That's a dalek!" Charlie exclaimed. I stared at the toy, completely confused as to what the hell a dalek was.

"It's from Doctor Who," Edward said. I almost dropped Charlie's toy when I heard the name of the show the dalek originated from. Jake had loved that show. I remember him telling me a few months before he died that he had just started watching it.

"Cool," I murmured. Charlie turned to the book that Edward was going to read to her, but Edward stared at me for a bit longer than she did. I just shook my head and he returned his attention to his daughter. Perhaps I would tell him about it later, but right now I had to smile and listen to Edward read Beauty and the Beast to Charlie.

It felt weird, hearing the fairytale in this setting. Charlie kept looking up at me and smiling. I wasn't Belle anymore, but a part of me worried that she knew that I had been Belle during her visit. Strangely, I didn't want her to find out. My hope was that she would continue to love me because I was her friend, Bella; not because I had once been her favorite princess, Belle.

When the story was over, I hugged Charlie goodnight and left the room so that her father could say goodnight to her without me intruding. I went to the kitchen and sure enough Edward had cleaned everything up. I suppose since I'm their guest, he didn't want me to do it. However, I wouldn't have minded. Personally, I like to do dishes with people. If one person washes while the other dries, it gives you awhile to talk. I wasn't sure if Edward wanted me to stay and spend time with him now that Charlie was in bed.

"You want something to drink?" I whipped around when I heard Edward, but he was closer than I had thought and I almost whacked him. He chuckled at my shock and at that I gently hit him on the shoulder.

"What do you have for beer?"

Edward poured two beers and we sat at the kitchen counter together. It occurred to me that a week ago he had been sitting here and I had been sitting at my condo in Florida. Now we were together, having a drink like it was something we did every Wednesday night.

"Bella?" Edward's tone was different than it had been a few seconds ago when we were exchanging stories about our cats.

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind telling me about what happened when I mentioned Doctor Who earlier? If it's too personal, you certainly don't have to. I've just been wondering."

"I don't think I want to talk about it tonight, if that's ok." I looked at Edward and he nodded. Talking about Jake made me experience many different emotions. I would feel happy because he was such a good friend, but also sad because I missed having him as a friend.

"What would you like to talk about then?" Edward smiled at me and my tummy did small flips. For the past few hours it had been easy to forget about how he made me feel. Yet, with one little quirk of his mouth he brought all of it flooding back. I was getting good at hiding it though because Edward didn't bat a lash.

"Anything." Edward's grin widened and something sparked in his eyes. I instantly regretted my words choice and wondered what he was going to want to talk about. He looked mischievous, a look that I had seen on his brother's face in the family photos I looked at earlier.

"So how many tattoos do you have?" Edward asked. My eyes widen and he started chortling; I swear he was laughing so hard that he even snorted a little bit.

"One," I muttered, taking a large gulp of my beer so that I wouldn't have to say anything else.

"Just one!?"

"How do you even know about it!?"

"Eh, your shirt rode up when you were playing with Charlie." Now it was Edward's turn to down some beer. I tried not to blush when thinking about my shirt riding up and him noticing. I considered the leggings I was wearing; they came up about as high as my regular jeans. After having the tattoo for about seven years, I knew that you couldn't see the entire thing when I was wearing pants; only the tops of some letters were visible.

"Well how many do _you_ have then?" His question had sparked curiosity in me and now I needed to know about him.

"Two." My eyebrows rose and Edward smirked. Or maybe it was just him smiling; I had noticed during the night that his smile was slightly crooked. I needed to stop staring at him so much.

"Well what are they?"

"I have _Charlotte_ tattooed on my chest. It's over my heart, for obvious reasons I suppose. The other one I have is kind of embarrassing."

"You have to tell me!"

"You haven't even told me yours!"

Edward had a point. I had strategically avoided discussing the tattoo that I had gotten in memory of my best friend. If I told him about my tattoo, wouldn't he want to know why I had gotten it? I had already avoided talking about Jake once that night. Could I do it again? I looked at Edward and then down at my hands clasped on the counter. I wanted to tell him. I just wasn't sure if I was ready to tell him.

"It says _carpe diem_," I admitted, keeping my head down so I wouldn't see his expression. When Edward's response was to start laughing, however, my head shot up. I glared at him and he held his hands up in defense.

"I'm sorry, it's just a little clichéd. When'd you get that? At eighteen?"

"Yes," I said seriously. I was growing angrier at Edward's attitude. He wouldn't even tell me what his second tattoo was because it was 'embarrassing'! He shouldn't have been laughing at my tattoo especially since he didn't know the story behind it.

"Well, I got my other one at eighteen too, so I guess I know what it's like to be young and not make great tattoo choices."

"I got mine in memory of a friend who passed away," I snapped. I stared at Edward as the words passed my lips and his expression changed. I instantly saw the pity that I hadn't wanted to see in his eyes. However, it needed to be said for him to shut up.

"I-I'm so sorry Bella." Edward looked at me, his eyes large and full of sympathy. "What happened?"

"He died in a motorcycle accident a few weeks after I graduated from high school. About a week before I left for college I decided to get it in his memory. It was his motto; he said it all the time. I know it is kind of a clichéd saying. I even made fun of him all the time for it. I figured though that it was the best way to remember him and he would've gotten a kick out of it too."

"Want to see mine?" Edward asked after a few moments of silence.

I grinned, the sadness I was feeling about Jake slowly drained away and was replaced by eagerness. Edward stood up and took off his sock. I couldn't see anything on the top or side of his foot so I was curious. Then he held it up and showed me the bottom. In big, kind of sloppy letters, was _ANDY_.

"Complete with the back ward N and childish handwriting," Edward said. He sounded very embarrassed but also kind of shy. I started to giggle; it was an amazing tattoo.

"I can't believe you got that at eighteen! You're finally able to go off on your own and get a tattoo and you get something straight out of Toy Story!"

"Shut up," Edward growled.

"Make me!"

**Edward**

_She should not have said that, _I thought. I stepped forward, took Bella's face in my hands and kissed her. At first, it was going to be innocent enough for me to brush it off as a joke. However, the parting of her lips kept me going. Something told me I should stop kissing her, but Bella returned the kiss.

"Edward," she whispered, "we should stop."

"Yes, I agree." One of her legs wrapped around me. Neither of us stopped. Neither of us really wanted to.

It felt like there was a fire in my stomach. How long had I dreamt of kissing Bella? Now it was actually happening and it was so much better than I had thought it would be. I felt her arms snake up around my neck. One hand was suddenly fisted in my hair while the other held tightly to my shoulder.

Moaning, I dropped a hand to her waist. As I trailed it down to her thigh I heard a soft moan escape from her lips and I wanted her even more. I lifted her other leg so that both were now wrapped around me. She tightened them, pulling me closer to her. I lifted her off of the stool and carried her to the living room.

**Bella**

Suddenly, we were on the couch. Even though my mind screamed that what we were doing was not right, my body screamed that it was. Edward had fallen back onto the couch so that I was straddled on top of him. I loved feeling like I had some power over him. I kissed him, darting my tongue inside his mouth and pushing my hips into his as I did so.

The groan it elicited from him was extremely satisfying. I moved my lips along his jaw and down his throat. One of his hands moved down to grab my ass and I gasped. I nibbled his ear lobe, sucked at where his neck met his shoulders and kissed the underneath of his chin. All the while he was groaning and pulling my hips closer to his own. I could feel how hard he was and it caused the warmth inside of me to spread even further. I wanted him so badly.

Suddenly one of his hands was pulling my face back to his. I felt a thrill at kissing him again. However, now his kisses were slower. His hands had loosened their grip and were resting lightly on my waist. I relished in kissing him. I had longed to kiss him for months. Being separated by a couple states and also having an agreement not to be together kind of threw a wrench in that fantasy of mine. However, now we _were_ kissing.

"I'm kissing you," Edward muttered, his lips grazing mine as he said it.

"You shouldn't be."

"I know."

Just like that, we both stopped. I reluctantly opened my eyes and stared into his. They were even more beautiful from this proximity. With a sigh, I pulled myself away and went to sit at the other end of the couch. Edward sat up and wiggled around into a comfortable position. I tried not to smirk at the idea of him adjusting his erection.

We sat there silently and I wondered if we were going to talk about it or act like it had never happened. Personally, I had loved every second of it. With his silence, I doubted whether he had too. I decided that I would leave. We could talk about it again in a few days.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked as I got up from the couch.

"Leaving." I stared at him and wondered how he felt about me leaving. Did he want me to stay like I so desperately wanted him to?

"Don't leave, Bella," he said quietly. I stayed frozen in place and he stood up and wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry for forcing that on you," he whispered into my ear as he stroked my hair.

I shook my head and looked up at him. "I reciprocated, you idiot. Nothing was forced."

Edward smiled a little but then it disappeared. "We still shouldn't have done that. We agreed that it'd be too complicated."

"I love being friends with you, Edward. Maybe we should ignore that this happened." I bit my lip after saying that and wondered if that was what I truly wanted. Edward nodded and stared down at me. He kissed me on the forehead and then stepped away.

"So, friend, do you still want to leave?"

"I probably should, it's getting late" I said, giggling at him calling me 'friend' instead of Bella.

"Put on your shoes and coat and I'll bring you down and help you catch a cab."

"I'm perfectly capable of catching a cab, you should stay up here with Charlie!"

"Eh, she's asleep. Plus what kind of friend would I be if I let a lovely lady like you go out there on the streets of New York at night all by yourself!?"

"You're ridiculous."

But I went put on my shoes and coat like he said and let him walk me out. When he put me in a cab he smiled at me, that dazzling smile that makes me melt and said, "I had a wonderful night, Bella." Then he shut the cab door, but not before I noticed the mischievous twinkle in his eye. As he walked back into his building, I was left wondering if he was thinking about the same thing I was when he said he had a 'wonderful night'.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**I felt like this chapter needed a little bit of smut. I guess I also did at as a sort of apology for it being a bit late and also a bit short. I'm in college now guys, cut me a little bit of slack.**


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